Poland ready to
consider US bases on its territory: defense minister WARSAW (AFP) Dec 05, 2003
Defense Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski said Friday that Poland, a former Soviet
satellite, was ready to consider allowing US bases on its territory if such a
request was made. "US Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith arrives in
Poland Monday to
discuss the issue of US bases overseas," defense ministry spokesman
Colonel
Adam Stasinski told AFP without elaborating.
Szmajdzinski said the government and President Aleksander Kwasniewski must
also discuss the base issue with Poland's political parties and listen to
public opinion.
Consultations should also be held with Poland's allies and neighbors, PAP news
agency quoted him as saying.
"(US Defense Secretary) Donald Rumsfeld's deputy will visit us Monday.
There will be talks, we'll see whether a proposal is made because so far there
has
not been one," Szmajdzinski added.
US President George W. Bush announced last month that the United States was
stepping up discussions with key European and Asian allies about the overhaul
of US global military deployments.
A senior US administration official said the president was not accelerating
the process of revamping deployments, just moving ahead with planned
consultations with key allies on where best to position US forces.
Bush came to office in January 2001 with plans to overhaul US forces to make
them more mobile as well as revamp where they are stationed abroad.
"We will invite the full participation of our friends and allies" in
the process, said the president, who has drawn fire for launching the US-led
invasion of Iraq in March without explicit UN approval.
"A fully transformed and strengthened overseas force posture will
underscore the commitment of the United States to effective collective action
in the common cause of peace and liberty," he said.
